For the Public & the Media

Are you interested in learning more about how the work PROTECT is doing applies to you, your family, and your community? Please take a look at the links below for information about:

What is a Superfund?

Superfund is the name given to the environmental program established to address abandoned hazardous waste sites. It is also the name of the fund established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980. This law was enacted in the wake of the discovery of toxic waste dumps such as Love Canal and Times Beach in the 1970s. It allows the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to clean up such sites and to compel responsible parties to perform cleanups or reimburse the government for EPA-lead cleanups.

Groundwater and Chemicals that PROTECT is Studying

PROTECT goal is to investigate the causal relationships between environmental pollutants and preterm birth. Puerto Rico has been selected as a testsite because it has one of the highest rates of preterm birth (~15%) among the states and territories of the U.S., and because of the extent of hazardous waste contamination on the island (16 active Superfund sites).

Learn more about contaminants of concern and groundwater vulnerability to contamination in the karst areas (e.g. northern Puerto Rico).

Adverse Effects of Contaminants on Your Health: Preterm Birth

Preterm birth is a major and costly health problem in the United States. Resulting in significant infant and maternal morbidity and mortality, it is the leading cause of neonatal mortality in the US, contributing to over one-third of infant deaths.

Learn more here about the environmental pollutants influence on reproductive health, preterm birth and other adverse birth outcomes.